2018 My Favorite Things - Some local, some not.

Holiday season again... Oprah's list of her favorite things always gets me thinking about my favorite things. Here is my 2018 list.

HAIR PRODUCTS
I bought this product early in the summer because I am always trying to find those natural summer curls that used to come so easily. Alas, for the most part my curls evaded me. However! A couple of months ago I wondered if I used this product then styled my hair like I always do if it would give my hair more body. Um. Yes. It did. It is as it's called an In-Shower Styler. Once you wash and condition your hair, you work a somewhat generous portion of this through your hair and then quickly rinse your hair, but super quick. Voila. Instead of letting hair air dry like the bottle says, I put other products in my hair that are part of my regimen then blow dry and I absolutely have triple the body I normally have. I barely need to spritz my hair with hair spray. My hair stays full all day. I bought mine at Ulta, in store and recently on-line, but it is available in other places too. Here is a link.




WOW is the name not just the reaction. I saw this product advertised as Hoda Kotb's new favorite thing for smooth hair. As referenced above my hair has "some" curl in it, but it just shows as frizz unless I take the time (read: I am not that patient) to slowly blow-dry my hair with a round brush and completely remove the frizzy curls from my hair. So I tried this product as it is stated, but my hair went from having a ton of body to being super slick, super smooth and flat on my head. No amount of hairspray would keep my hair styled through the day. I have read raves on this product, but as an all over product I think one would want super flat hair or have super curly hair to start with and this tames it a bit. A couple of weeks ago instead of using it on all of my hair, I just use it on my bangs/side bangs. With a quick blow dry, all the frizz is gone with this product. It really is amazing. I have used several other high quality no frizz products and nothing has come close to the results this product has given me. Here is a link.

HOT AND COLD DRINKS
My favorite hot and cold drinks are available locally in Abilene at Big Country Coffee. Same as last year my favorite cold drink is the Turtle Power Smoothie. Kale, Spinach, Lemon, Frozen Peach, Apple Juice. I scoop in some of my favorite VEGA protein powder and my meal is perfect! My new favorite hot drink as of this morning is called London Fog. It is a steamed milk, to keep it vegan I asked for almond milk instead of regular milk, it is flavored with a lavender and earl gray tea bags, and sweetened. If you are a lavender fan this is pure delight.

SKIN-CARE PRODUCTS

Everything Deborah's Collection in their skin-care line is my go to favorites. Give me ALL the aloe and slather it on my skin. The quality of the aloe vera with Deborah's is unlike any other aloe I have ever tried. I have used these products consistently for 10 years and love them just as much today as I did then. I use the cleanser, moisturizers (day and night), the body wash, the body butter, the facial lift system, the enzymatic facial peel, and their uh-mazing lip balm. My two favorites!! The Essential Lift Collection is crazy, I rarely use this product and don't have someone ask me about how my skin stays looking young, and the Enzymatic Facial Peel keeps my face super fresh looking. Rebekah and Deborah are super helpful. While this is a local Abilene business they also ship. If you order from them please tell them I sent you!

You-Tube Tutorials  
(a.k.a. how the heck do I style my hair/put make up on?)
One day I was 29 years old and I knew how to do my hair and make up and dress cute, then I had kids and for several years lived in survival mode. Between 3 kids under 3, then one child with a cancer diagnosis, then finishing my degree,... I kind of got my life back in my mid to late 40's and wanted to pay attention to my own self again. I want to be the best me. Nobody else. Just me. The me I was, was someone who loved fashion, liked to look healthy, have fun hair, fresh looking make up...could I find all this again in my mid to late 40's? I muddled my way through for a couple of years, but then this last year one of my friends introduced me to you tube videos for those of us not 29 any more and I learned some new tricks of the trade. My absolute favorite tutorials come from Dominique Sachse, she is a journalist, has won Emmy's, and has taught me how to blow dry my hair...ha ha, and put on make up. I just started following her on IG. She is lovely. I love that she is not being paid for recommending certain products and helps you use what you already have, just making it work better for you. I will take one order of her fabulous hair to go, please. I noticed on IG that she is using the Wow product from above, as well.

Vegan Website

While there are lots of great Vegan recipe websites out there, I find that That Savory Vegan has the most consistent dishes that I would actually cook in my kitchen. I subscribe to their weekly email and find myself perusing their site when wanting to cook something yummy.

Keeping Warm
Winter comes around EVERY year. I absolutely love it, but the older I get the harder it is for me to stay warm. Last week my husband and I had a date night. Came home, got ready for bed, climbed under the covers, and all of a sudden Rob says, how could we have been at the same place for the last 5 hours and you are like an icicle and I am not even cold? My new favorite blanky is a thermal throw blanket I bought from Kohl's, I can tote it with me anywhere, on the couch, on my bed,...and I even use it to warm up my side of the bed so when I climb under my covers they are toasty warm. It's light enough, unlike our heavy thermal blanket which we haven't put on our bed yet this winter, that I can just flip a switch and toss it off the bed once I am toasty and warm and don't want the extra blanket on me at night.

Tamales
I think this was on my list last year, but here it is again. Give me all the Vegan Tamales ;) I love tamales, and missed them desperately when I became vegan. Not any more thanks to Two Many Tamales a local (and seasonal) business here in Abilene. They make mostly traditional tamales, which my family can not get enough of, but my favorites are the Vegan tamales, so yummy. She is still taking orders for Christmas.

Farmhouse Style - Or should I say Joy?

Room by room I am simplifying and redecorating in my home. I am slightly obsessed with farmhouse style, the color white, barn wood, did I say simplifying? One of my good friends (who is so smart and creative - she is slightly a freak of nature) has found her niche in woodworking, styling homes for realtors, making her house look like it was out of a magazine for pennies on the dollar using lots of reclaimed, recycled, re-purposed items. Her name is Joy and you can find her at Pennyworth Market. Follow her for inspiration and laughs. I went with her to the recycle center, on a frigidly cold morning to peruse, collect, bottles for her to use in decorating. She could spot a needle in a haystack. I stood there looking at colored glass and the only use I was - was pinpointing the type of liquor bottle it was formerly...whiskey bottle, wine bottle, vodka bottle...I know my liquor bottles... ha ha. Notice one of the bottles to the picture on the left that was picked that day at the recycle center, with my expert overseeing going on.

Candle Holders she made ;)

And my favorite item I have bought from her is my farmhouse chalkboard. It's made of barn wood and the surface is more rough than a store bought chalk board. Super rustic looking. We redid one of our bedrooms and made it a guest room, I have a chalkboard from Pennyworth with chalk that I can leave greetings of welcome to our house guests.
She is on FB and IG @ Pennyworth Market.


It is fun thinking about my favorite things. There are so many more, but this is what I will share now. Be sure and share your favorite things with me! I want to know all about them.

Lemon Cornmeal & Cherry Scones

Lemon, tart cherries, scones, yes to all and better yet, let's combine them in one delicious bite. The original inspiration for this recipe came from listening to the audible book, Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals That Brought Me Home by Jessica Fechtor, the author referenced lemon cherry cornmeal scones. I had never heard of such a thing, but these are all things I adore so I hopped online found a starting place for my recipe here, and then I made some substitutions so it would work for me, and voila. C'est Magnifique. #vegan #glutenfree

Ingredients

5 oz Dried Sour Cherries

1 1/2 c GF All-Purpose Flour

1/2 c GF Cornmeal

1 T Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons

6 T vegan butter, cubed

1/2 c Non-Dairy Milk, I used almond.

1/4 c Pure Maple Syrup

1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

For "egg wash" on top-

2 T Non-Dairy Milk, 1 T Maple Syrup

Coarse sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Makes 12 scones.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl cover dried cherries with hot tap water, allow to sit for 15 min. Drain water and pat cherries dry.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour with the cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the butter until it is the size of small peas. Add the cherries. Combine Milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. Add the liquid to the bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough is evenly moistened. It will be a little wet.

Scoop 1/4 cup mounds of dough onto the baking sheet, spacing them two inches apart. Brush the tops with the "egg wash" mixture of non-dairy milk and maple syrup and sprinkle lightly with coarse sugar. Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden. Transfer the scones to a rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temp.

Eating Out in Abilene - Vegan and Gluten Free

I often have people call, text, ask or message me and want to know where they can eat with food allergies in our little West Texas town of Abilene. I will often send a list from memory, I will inevitably forget a favorite... this is my current list of restaurants, menu options, adjustments. My plan is to come back to this post and update as necessary, then I can take a look to remind myself of local restaurant options.

Huge disclaimer: Below is my list, as someone with food allergies I depend so much on chefs, cooks, servers that know what they are talking about and know the ingredients. I do my best to not put a server, during a busy time, on the spot. Below is my general how to's of eating out and then a list of where I have eaten, tweaks to items on the menu... I don't guarantee any item below is vegan or g/f, but to the best of my knowledge unless otherwise noted, as much as I understand, they are. It is always good to let the restaurant know your food allergies.

General Practices

1. Research, research, research. I do my best to google nutritional and menu info before I ever enter a restaurant. If I can't find the info online I will call the restaurant during a non-busy time and ask some questions to find out about options on the menu.

2. I don't ever expect anyone to go out of their way for me. There are a thousand me's with food allergies, food preferences likes and dislikes. If I, for some reason, can't figure out anything on the menu, then I eat a vegetable salad, no cheese or croutons, or I eat nothing, or I eat french fries, or I have a glass of wine and chips and guacamole.

3. I smile and look the server in the eye and kindly ask questions about the menu. Smiles go a long way.

4. I leave a good tip. I really appreciate servers who are knowledgeable, who will go check with the kitchen about ingredients, who genuinely want me to have a good experience in their restaurant, I let them know that with a tip that affirms their extra help and thank them personally so they know they were appreciated.

Restaurant and my go-to menu items in Abilene

Big Country Coffee - My favorite smoothie here is the Turtle Power smoothie, the tropical smoothie is also super yummy. Both are Vegan/GF. The smoothies here are not made with powders, but with real fruits and veggies. They can also substitute Almond Milk for dairy in several other smoothies.

Copper Creek - Vegetarian menu, several options which can be made vegan. I double check which items are GF.

Fuzzy's - I order a side of corn tortillas (3) with a side of cilantro-lime rice and a side of black beans. Their Guacamole is also Vegan/GF. I will make my own tacos with the beans and rice.

Jason's Deli - Lots of options, salad bar, kale and vegetable soup, one of my favorite sandwiches is the Zucchini Grillini, I just ask for no cheese and have it put on GF Bread.

Krua Thai - I order the Vegetable Panang with extra vegetables, or the Tofu Panang, the key here is to ask for NO fish sauce. Then the dish is vegan. All of the curries can be made vegan. Panang is my most favorite.

Life of Pie - While not available every day you can special order GF/Vegan pies.

Milk & Honey Bakery and Bistro - Special order baked goods are available for many food allergies. I had the best GF/Vegan chocolate cake EVER from here. Such a treat.

Lytle Land and Cattle - They have a great dish of grilled portabellos in the appetizer section. I often will order a baked potato plain, but then ask for a side of sauteed mushrooms (request they are sauteed in olive oil) to be poured over the top of the baked potato. I will order a side salad with no cheese, croutons with the amazing basil/lime vinaigrette.

Mian Bistro - I order the vegetable curry or tofu curry over rice. The rice noodles (plain) are also GF/Vegan.

Natural Food Restaurant - Vegetarian section on the menu, several items are easily adjusted GF and Vegan. Super helpful and knowledgeable staff.
I often order the stuffed avocado, one stuffed with hummus one with quinoa. I always double check the stuffings are GF and Vegan. Most of the time they are but they change up their offerings and flavorings each day on the hummus and quinoa. They have the best salad, strawberry, and spinach with a blush dressing. I ask for the feta to be left off.

Pizza By Design - I order the GF pizza crust, there is gelatin in the ingredient list, but the amount must be minute enough it doesn't cause me any issues. I ask for the olive oil base, then have them put fresh garlic on the olive oil. Then it's just a matter of picking what veggies (and they have a lot to choose from). Their red pizza sauce is Vegan and GF, but I miss cheese when I have the red sauce on my pizza, so I stick with the olive oil.

Spicy India - My favorites are the Manchurian Gobi (fried cauliflower), Vegetable Kadai, and Aloo Gobi (cauliflower and potato) with the curry sauce.

Market Street - They always have a great Vegetable sushi in the case. I love sushi and enjoy being able to pick this up as a "fast food" if I am in a rush. To keep it gluten free use tamari sauce instead of regular soy sauce.

These are my go-to menu picks, there are probably lots more variations, as long as I know there is at least one thing on the menu I can have I am thrilled!

2 Years - Vegan-ing

I have just passed my two-year mark as eating as a Vegan. Over the last two years, I have loved my food options each day, more and more. As I learn to navigate the ingredient lists of some old favorites which I have been able to adapt to gluten-free and vegan I have opened up more variety of foods that I can eat without causing joint pain. However, I have gotten to where for the most part I like simple foods, simply prepared, and lots of bright colors on my plate. The first 18 months I would try and replicate foods I missed, but over the last bit of time, I find myself being content in the great options I have with all the starches and veggies I get to eat every day.

{Pictured below is a great meal a friend made for me. She eats mainly vegetarian and vegan and prepared an amazing nacho bar which included so many vegan options from, cashew cheese, cashew sour cream, refried beans, black beans, cilantro and lime rice...it was such a treat. I have great friends with lots of skillz. (Thanks Hollie and Stephen, not only are y'all touching the lives of the homeless with your big social worker hearts, you blessed me with this meal so very much, check out their new website www. sojustsix.com!)}

Every now and then I will eat BBQ or take a bite of something that isn't vegan, I always feel worse for it, my joints complain right away. I am at a place where I can pass by an old craving without too much struggle, as long as I have something else yummy waiting for me. That is the key. I work hard to keep my food options varied, I don't like to decide on Sunday what I will eat on Thursdays, but in the morning of the day at hand, I am thinking about what sounds good to me for dinner that night.


We were in Indianapolis for a family wedding last week and we visited Bazbeaux's Pizza twice. The first time I ordered a tomato and basil pizza on gf/vegan crust. It was uh-mazing. The crust was so yummy. The second time I ordered the vegetable pizza, same crust, which is pictured below. Just look at those fresh veggies!

While in Indianapolis I was able to utilize Uber Eats a couple of times to have food delivered to me. It was super convenient. For lunch one day when my husband was trying out a famous deli I stayed back at the hotel and ordered from Piada. Uber Eats delivered me this delicious Protein Power Bowl about 35 minutes later.

I was determined to recreate this meal when I got back home. Here is my version -

My favorite treat in the summer is farm fresh tomatoes which have never been refrigerated. I am a regular at the local Abilene Farmer's Market, but I also love to travel out to Denton Valley Farms and purchase produce from them. For the non-vegans who travel to Denton Valley Farms (about 15 minutes out of Abilene) keep in mind, they make fresh peach ice cream each day (and vanilla bean if you don't like peach). My family will make the trip out there with me because they love the fresh ice cream.  

Pictured below was my haul Saturday...red onions which I pickled, lots of tomato varieties, blackberries (which you can pick or buy already picked), cantaloupe, peaches, and jalapenos. 












My meal last night used many of these items. I made a gluten free/vegan pizza covered with olive oil, fresh minced garlic, celtic sea salt, heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, jalapenos and a remnant of a piece of Chao Vegan Cheese. I have drizzled an 18-year Balsamic vinegar (from Cordell's) over the fruit and a bit of the pizza. The balsamic on the fruit was amazing. The crust...I ordered a vegan/gf crust mix from www.brandless.com, nothing is more than $3 and free shipping if you order $40 or more. Lots of vegan and gf options, plus everything else.

Last week I used those heirloom tomatoes to make sandwiches. (pictured above)

So 6ish years gluten-free and 2 years Vegan and I'm not looking back. I love that my food fuels me, works at giving me optimum health and strength, and it is mouthwatering, decadent, indulgent and delicious.

Zucchini Grillini

I am slightly obsessed with Jason's Deli Zucchini Grillini sandwich. I order it without the cheese and on GF bread and it is d.i.v.i.n.e.

I decided to make it at home tonight for my dinner. I grilled zucchini strips and red pepper strips on our George Forman Grill with just a touch of olive oil to help it cook/brown. I probably used a 1/2 tsp. so not much. I cut up cucumbers, red onions, tomatoes and put down a good layer of spinach and then layered all the ingredients on red pepper hummus on the toasted gluten free bread. A little salt and pepper, and voila! Deliciousness. I LOVE a good sandwich!!

Chocolate Fudge #Vegan #Gluten Free

Full disclosure...this is not a picture of the fudge I made. It looks super similar, though. I made the fudge late one night and with the help of my family it did not last long.

1 Can Coconut Condensed Milk - link here.
3 4oz Bars Bakers Semi-Sweet Chocolate
1 tsp Vanilla
Smidge of salt
Nuts (optional)

Break up all of the Bakers chocolate in a microwavable bowl. Pour the coconut condensed milk over the top. Add Salt. Microwave the mixture for 1 minute, then stir. Microwave in 10-15 second increments. I don't like for the microwave to completely melt the chocolate...it is best to stir the mixture to finish the melting. Once completely melted add vanilla and nuts. Stir and pour into a parchment lined 8x8 dish. Refrigerate. Cut into small pieces to serve. Store in fridge.


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This fudge was delicious. There was no coconut flavor that I could detect. I based this recipe on my Mom's fudge recipe. She loved to mix a bag of chocolate chips and a can of Eagle Brand to make easy fudge during the holidays.

This doesn't make a huge batch, but could be doubled if you wanted it thicker.

I bought the 6 pack of the coconut condensed milk above. I am so grateful that this product is available. I will have plenty of cans on hand for the holidays....and for the best Vegan hot chocolate....EVER! Recipe to come soon.

Molasses Cardamom Cookies #Vegan #Gluten Free

The holidays are right around the corner. I am not loving the fact that everyone around me will be eating lots of food that if I joined in would leave me with a full tummy, but also lots of pain and swelling in my joints. As I get closer to the family meals I am thinking through whether I want to indulge for the day and pay the consequences or hold out and eat some delicious options, just not what everyone else is eating.

One thing I know for sure, even if I do eat some Thanksgiving food, one thing I can't do is surround the days around it with other off-limit foods. For me it is easier to stick with this food plan without cheating here and there. Where does the cheating start and stop then? However, it's the gatherings of food and family that leave me feeling a bit lonesome in the midst of it all. When food is the center of the gathering,  and you can't have that food, there is a bit of an outsider-ish feel. Maybe it wont always be this way, but in this first year that is where I am at.

Knowing that there would be gatherings this season I would be bringing dishes to, and also wanting to have at least one thing I could eat as far as treats go has gotten me into the mindset of planning ahead.

The first real success I had was making fudge. I made a great recipe. Once I post it I will link it here.

But today's success is all about some holiday spice in a cookie with a bit of a crunchy sugary glaze on the outside. They turned out so delicious. I will make these over and over.

This recipe was my inspiration.

Here is my adaptation -

Gluten Free/Vegan Molasses Cardamom Glazed Cookies
2 1/4 c. gluten free flour - this one is my favorite.
1/2 c. salad oil (next time I make this I will substitute canned pumpkin)
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. molasses
1/4 c. maple or maple-flavor syrup
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. (or more) ground cardamom (I doubled this)
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (I doubled this)
1/4 tsp. ground ginger (I used fresh ginger in a tube, 1 1/2tsp)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Vegan egg substitute - I use this one.

Into large bowl measure all ingredients. With mixer at low speed, beat until well-blended, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Refrigerate dough for a few hours to make it easier to roll into balls.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough by level teaspoonfuls into ball; place balls 2-inches apart on un-greased cookie sheets. Bake 10 minutes. With spatula remove cookies to wire racks to cool.

The original recipe did not call for an icing glaze, but with the thoughts of a great southern spice cake in mind, I fashioned a similar glaze to top the cookies with.

Glaze
1 C Powdered Sugar
Nut Milk or water, I used cashew milk to thin. Probably around a tablespoon? Till it's the right consistency.
1/2 t Vanilla
1/4 t Allspice
Smidge of salt

Mix icing ingredients together. I put the bowl of mixed ingredients into the microwave for about 10 seconds to warm. I wanted the salt and sugar to no longer have a gritty consistency. Mix well again. If you want to dip the cookies for a light coating as pictured it needs to be the consistency of a syrup.

Dip the top of cooled cookies into the glaze, turn over and set the unglazed side on parchment or wax paper. Let cool. Enjoy.

Store in tightly covered container.